You are dieting and exercising, doing everything right, but the number on the scale isn't going down. You must feel like the odds are stacked up against you. Body composition might be the answer. Dieting and exercise can lead to a decrease in fat mass and an increase of lean body mass. When you gain lean body mass and lose fat, the scale might stay the same, but you are losing inches and becoming healthier.
Body Composition
The body is made of water, fat, protein and minerals. Fat mass is the accumulation of all of the fat inside of your body. Lean body mass constitutes the muscular and connective tissue inside of the body. According to "Exercise Testing and Prescription" by David Nieman, body composition is a better indication of health than weight.
Body Fat Percentage
Knowing and tracking your body fat percentage allows you to assess your progress. Because lean body mass, specifically skeletal muscle, is denser than fat mass, it weighs more. Decreasing your fat mass will not necessarily lead to a smaller number on the scale. A healthy body fat percentage for an adult woman is 31 percent or less. An adult male's body fat percentage should not exceed 24 percent.
Waist Circumference
Waist circumference is the distance around your belly. When measuring waist circumference, measure just above your navel, advises the American Heart Association. A healthy waist circumference is dependent on your sex. A woman's waist circumference should be less than 35 inches and a man's less than 40 inches. If your waist is larger than recommended, you are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular or metabolic disease. When you lose inches around your waist, you are increasing lean body mass and becoming healthier.
Measurements
Body fat and fat weight can be calculated, making it possible for you to track lost fat. Body fat can be assessed using skin fold densiometry or bioelectrical impedance. Skin fold densiometry is a test, done by a professional, that measures fat around several parts of your body. Bioelectrical impedance can be done with specialized scales. When you stand on the scale, it sends a harmless electrical current through one foot and measures the return on the other. Lean body mass conducts electricity, so body fat is calculated by the amount of returned current. Once you've discovered your body fat percent, you can calculate your fat weight by multiplying percent body fat by total body weight.
Expert Insight
Even if it seems like a fleeting effort, diet and exercise will lead to weight loss. If you have unhealthy body fat, you are at an increased risk for developing atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension or suffering from a heart attack or stroke. Exercise combining cardio and resistance training burns fat and increases lean body mass, according to the "Health Fitness Instructor's Handbook" by Edward T. Howley and B. Don Franks. If you are dieting and exercising, track your progress through waist circumference or body fat percentage.
References
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- American Heart Association: Body Composition Tests
- "The Health Fitness Instructor's Handbook"; Edward T. Howley and B. Don Franks; 2003
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